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Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski is the starting striker for Bayern Munich. Many consider him the best striker in the world. His finishing is undoubtably the best in the world, maybe of all time. His prolific goalscoring has made an impact on every team he has played for. Youth Career In his teens, Lewandowski earned a spot on Polish Team MKS Varsovia Warsaw. He played there for seven years, developing his world-renowned finishing. After his tenure there, he was transferred to Delta Warsaw, where he played on the first team for the first time. Then in 2006, he began his senior career with Polish Squad Znicz Pruszkow. Znicz Pruszkow After his stint in the Polish Academies, Lewandowski joined Znicnz Pruszkow. He was the top scorer in the third division with 15 goals, and led Pruszkow to a promotion. He shined the next season again, scoring 21 goals, giving him the position of top scorer. Lech Poznan In 2008, Polish club Lech Poznan bought Lewandowski for 1.5 million zlotys, which is equal to $412,717.20 USD. He debuted a month later as a substitute versus Khazar Lenkoran in the UEFA Cup. Lewandowski's potential was obvious, as in his first season with Poznan, he was second in the charts. He only kept getting better, and in the 2009-2010 season, he truly shined. He rose to the top of the scoring charts and carried Poznan to a league championship, while winning Player of the Year Honors. Borussia Dortmund After the 2009-2010 season, Lewandowski attracted the attention of top European clubs. The young Lewandowski was snatched up by Bayern Munich's rivals, Borussia Dortmund for 4.5 million Euros. In his first season, Lewandowski came off the bench, and never graced the starting XI. Three months after his transfer, Lewandowski scored his first Bundesliga goal against Schalke 04. The 2011-2012 season is where Lewandowski's career really took off. Starting striker Lucas Barrios got injured and Lewandowski finally made it into Dortmund's starting lineup. Lewandowski shined from this new starting position and led Dortmund to its best year as of late. His 22 goals were third in the Bundesliga scoring chart. Lewandowski did finish as the DFB-Pokal's top goalscorer though. His pure talent gave Dortmund its first ever double, winning the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal Tournament in the same year. In the start of the 2012-2013 season, Lewandowski was named a permanent starter. He scored on multiple occasions despite Dortmund not performing very well in the league. He broke a long-standing club record by scoring in 12 consecutive league games, breaking Friedhelm Konietzka's record from the 1964-1965 season. At the end of the season, he was second in the scoring tables with 24 goals, second to Bayer Leverkusen's Stefan Kießling. They weren't performing in the league as well because Dortmund's focus for the season was to win the UEFA Champion's League. They went very far. Lewandowski broke the record more most goals scored in a Champion's League semifinal game against Real Madrid. He scored every goal in the 4-1 victory. Dortmund lost in the final to league rivals Bayern Munich. Right before the 2013-2014 season, Lewandowski announced that it would be his final season at Borussia Dortmund. It reflected in his play, as his goal total was the lowest of all the seasons where he received playing time. He scored 20 goals that season, but he did finish as the Bundesliga's top scorer for the very first time. In this season, he became Dortmund's all-time leading Champion's League scorer, surpassing Stéphane Chapuisat's record of 16 goals. In his 182nd appearance with Dortmund, Lewandowski scored his 100th career goal. Soon after the season ended, Lewandowski signed a 5-year contract with league rivals Bayern Munich. Bayern Munich Lewandowski exploded for his new team as soon as he debuted. He played well in his debut, a 2-0 loss to former club Dortmund. One game later, he scores against Schalke 04 in a 1-1 draw for his first goal as a Bayern Munich player. He scored 17 goals that season, tying for second-highest goalscorer with teammate Arjen Robben, and behind Frankfurt's Alexander Meier. He contributed to Bayern winning its third consecutive league title. The 2015-2016 season was without a doubt the best season of Lewandowski's career. He absolutely exploded, scoring 30 league goals, which gave him his second time as the Bundesliga top scorer. In the first couple of games, Lewandowski was unstoppable. He scored his 100th Bundesliga goal in his 168th appearance. He scored 10 goals in the first 7 games of the season, something only accomplished by German legend Gerd Müller. A few games later, Lewandowski helped Bayern defeat 1. FC Köln, to give them their 1000th victory. Bayern won its fourth consecutive Bundesliga title. At the end of the season, he was 4th in the Ballon D'Or voting. The Ballon D'Or is given out every year to the best player in the world. Bayern played solidly in the Champion's League before exiting in the semifinal to Atlético Madrid. In the 2016-2017 season, Lewandowski opened the season by helping Bayern win the German Super Cup. Soon after, Bayern knew that Lewandowski was essential to Bayern's success, so they signed him on to a five-year contract that would guarantee that he would be a Bayern player until 2021. He reached another career landmark, when he scored his 100th goal for Bayern in his 137th appearance. He scored 30 goals again that season, but fell one goal short in the tables to Dortmund's new striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Lewandowski excelled in the Champion's League, yet they fell to Real Madrid in the semi-final. Bayern won an unprecedented fifth consecutive league title.